


Won't Let Nobody Hurt You

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2019 [46]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Attempted Kidnapping, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Prompt Fill, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 18:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Proposals prompt:Hawaii 5-0, Steve McGarrett and/or Danny Williams, terms of surrenderIn which trouble comes to Steve's town, and then to Steve's family.





	Won't Let Nobody Hurt You

They infiltrated his town one at a time, a day or more separating their arrivals. First the cardsharp, the infamous Tony Stark, who immediately set himself up with a hot table at the saloon. Then the big Swede, inquiring at the stables for work. The archer and his dog came next, though he stayed just outside of town, camped out in a tree like a vulture. The strongman, the Russian woman with the flaming hair…they all set themselves up around town and pretended not to know each other.

Steve wasn’t an idiot.

Word had spread about the group of avengers that rode together, meting out vigilante justice. They’d taken out the entire Red Skull gang, had lent their particular skills to Indians, Chinamen, and any other underdog that needed help.

“Riders coming in,” Danny said, leaning against one of the porch posts in front of the jail. 

“I see them,” Steve replied shortly.

He didn’t know why the Avengers were in his town, or why they were trying to be so circumspect about it, but it didn’t sit right. Steve knew his town, knew there was no reason for a call to have gone out for outside help.

The two riders pulled their horses up and Steve waited for the dust to settle, one hand on the butt of his gun. The man closest tipped his hat back, hands very conspicuously not on his weapon.

“McGarrett.”

“Rogers. Nice to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

Danny made a disgruntled noise. “You failed to mention you know this guy personally, Steven.”

“It was a long time ago,” Steve said. “We were in the Rangers together for a bit.”

“Look at you now,” Rogers said, lips twitching up in a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Sheriff.”

“And you’re a public menace, or so I hear tell.” Steve looked past Rogers to his companion. “Barnes. Heard you were dead.”

Barnes nodded. “I heard that too.”

Danny pushed up from the post, waving one hand at Rogers. “I hate to disrupt this heart-felt reunion, but what are you and your band of hooligans doing in my town?”

“Hooligans?” Barnes echoed, eyebrow raised.

“I gotta say I don’t appreciate you sending your people to spy on me,” Steve said. “You could’ve reached out, come to me directly.”

Rogers swung himself off his horse, spurs jangling as his boots hit the dirt. Barnes followed suit, tying both horses off near the water trough. Rogers had been a clean-cut, rule-following paragon of the Rangers once upon a time. He looked more disreputable these days, what with the beard and the hard glint in his eye. Then again, Steve had heard Rogers had been through some tough times.

“I would’ve,” Rogers said. “But you’re running with a different sort these days. Didn’t know what side you’d fall on.”

Steve glanced over at Danny, whose whole posture had tensed up like a bowstring. “I only work with good people, Rogers. You know that.”

“Got a guy says otherwise,” Barnes said, coming over to stand with Rogers so they were shoulder to shoulder. Just like old times.

“You better tell me what this is about.” Steve shifted, moving himself just a little in front of Danny. 

Before they could get into it, a wagon came clattering into town at full speed, raising a cloud of dust in its wake. Steve and Danny were on the move as soon as they saw it was Hiram Johnson, whose daughter Nancy minded Grace during the day.

“Hiram!” Steve called out.

“Trouble out at your place, Sheriff!” Hiram called back. “Some men looking for Grace. They put their hands on my girl, I’m taking her to Doc’s.”

Must’ve been bad, if Nancy was hidden away in the back of the wagon instead of riding up with her father. Anger bubbled up in Steve so fast it made him feel feverish.

“I’ll get the horses!” Danny shouted, already at a full run toward the stable.

Steve turned on Rogers, anger not quite strong enough to mask the fear that was riding along underneath it. “Your people responsible for this?”

Rogers held up his hands, expression solemn. “Not how we do things, McGarrett.”

“You best hope that’s true, or you’re a dead man.”

Grace wasn’t Steve’s blood relation, but he loved her like she was. And he’d take on anyone who tried to hurt her or take her away from him and Danny. What he wanted to know was who would come so far – surely anyone looking for Grace had known her back East – for a little street urchin.

Danny rode up from the stables on No-Name, with Steve’s horse Apollo in tow. His expression was grim, and Steve knew he was probably already considering a thousand different terrible scenarios in his head; Danny liked to prepare himself for the worst.

“We’d like to ride with you,” Rogers said, already back up on his horse. “We’ll help if we can.”

“Just don’t get in the way,” Danny said curtly.

Barnes swung himself into the saddle and gave a sharp, piercing whistle that was quickly answered by the far-off barking of a dog. Without any further ado, they made for Steve and Danny’s homestead. It wasn’t long before the rest of Steve’s Avengers joined them. 

“What are we doing?” Stark shouted.

“Things might have taken a turn,” Rogers shouted back.

Steve nodded to himself. Rogers’ gang might not be directly responsible for what was happening, but they were involved somehow. Seven against two wasn’t great odds, but no way Rogers had anyone quicker on the draw than him or Danny; if worse came to worst, they’d do what they had to do to protect what was theirs. To protect Grace.

The homestead wasn’t far from town; Steve needed to be close to each in case there was an emergency. He held up one fist, signaling the others the stop, as soon as they were close. Two horses were grazing out front and there was no sign of a wagon. It was a peaceful enough scene until a single shot rang out from the house.

Steve’s hands tightened on the reins, but he didn’t go for his gun. Not yet. No sense shooting at what he couldn’t see, especially on the off chance he might hit Grace.

“You stay right there, Sheriff!” a man’s voice called out.

“I’m here to negotiate your surrender,” Steve called back.

“Don’t push him,” Danny muttered.

“Just come for what’s mine and then I’ll be leavin’. Tell me where she is.”

Steve and Danny exchanged a look of relief. Whoever was in there didn’t have Grace. She was safe, at least for the moment.

Rogers shifted on his horse, hands held up so whoever was in the house could see. “Stanley, what are you doing? I told you we’d handle this!”

In a flash, Danny had his gun out and pointed at Rogers, seemingly unconcerned when the rest of the Avenger’s drew down on him in response. Except the big Swede, who pulled out a blacksmithing hammer.

“You were taking too long!”

“This isn’t right,” said the strongman, who looked too bookish to be as strong as the stories claimed. “I don’t think this guy’s been honest with us.”

“Brilliant deduction, Professor,” Stark replied sourly. 

“He hired you?” Steve asked Rogers.

Rogers nodded. “Said you kidnapped his daughter. He was pretty broken up about it.”

The strongman holstered his weapon. “I told you we need to stop taking people at their word. We should’ve asked around.”

Rogers sighed and motioned for the others to lower their guns. Steve nodded at Danny to do the same.

“You believed him,” Steve said. “That I’d do something like that.”

He and Rogers had never been friends, exactly, but they’d worked together. And he’d be lying if he said it didn’t sting to be thought so little of.

“People change,” Rogers replied, eyes still on the house. “The McGarrett I knew wouldn’t have taken up with a wanted outlaw.”

Steve glanced over at Danny, who was scowling at the back of No-Name’s head. His hands were fisted so tightly his knuckles were white, and Steve had to resist the urge to lay his own hand over them in comfort. 

“Danny’s no outlaw. He’s a good man who got a bum deal trying to do right by his family. There’s no-one I trust more to have my back. And he loves Grace just as much as I do.”

“You did take her away, though,” Stark pointed out.

“She was picking pockets, dirty and hungry and neglected. So yeah. We took her away from that. We sure as hell didn’t kidnap her.”

Rogers and Barnes looked at each other, a moment of silent communication passing between them.

“Natasha?”

“I believe them,” the Russian woman said, though she had no accent that Steve could discern.

“We must help the little girl,” the big Swede said, brandishing his hammer. “We must repay the debt owed for our involvement.”

“Hell. I’m in too.” Stark said. He pulled a flask from his saddle bag and took a long swig.

Natasha had a silent conversation with the archer, her mouth moving but no words coming out. And then the archer was on the move, so quick and quiet that even Steve was impressed. While he got into position, Rogers tried to keep his former client distracted. 

“Stanley, you’re going about this all wrong. We can help you get Grace back. But if you hurt people, that’s going to look bad for you.”

“There’s no time! If I don’t bring her back by the end of the week, I won’t get the money!”

“What money?”

“I thought her mother was a useless whore, but she had a wealthy relative who just passed. That money goes to Grace, but only if I can produce her!”

Steve hadn’t thought he could get any angrier, but he was wrong. That guy had turned Grace out into the street and now that he stood to gain some money, he wanted her back? And no doubt just long enough to collect, and then she’d be turned out once again. Or worse.

“Come out and surrender!” Steve shouted, though he already had his gun in his hand and murder on his mind. “You’re not getting Grace or her money, but maybe I can keep you out of jail if you come along peacefully.”

Another shot rang out, the bullet kicking up the dirt next to Apollo, who shifted to the side with an unhappy whicker. Several things happened at once after that. The archer appeared on the roof of the house, making some sort of hand signal before going in through Grace’s open bedroom window. At the same time there was the sound of something breaking in a different part of the house, and a very masculine scream.

“Go!” Rogers shouted.

Steve, Danny, and the Avengers dismounted and swarmed the house, covering the two exits and making sure Stanley and whoever he was working with couldn’t get to their horses.

Someone shouted, Grace gave a war cry, and the archer came through one of the downstairs windows, wrapped around his foe like a buckskin-wearing monkey on a vine. 

Steve wasted no time using that broken window as his way into the house, tucking and rolling as he did so. He barely took in the state of the furniture, which had all been moved or turned over or broken, because he only had eyes for Grace. 

She was standing like a warrior, hair loose and wild, blue dress dirty and spattered with blood, feet bare. She had one of the kitchen knives in her hand, and her whittling knife was sticking out of her opponent’s leg.

“Gracie? You okay?”

“My mommy wasn’t a whore!” Her voice was choked with tears, but she didn’t take her eyes off the man in front of her. Stanley, Steve presumed.

“Of course she wasn’t,” Steve agreed. “You don’t have to listen to anything that man says.”

Grace finally turned to look at him, and Steve’s heart clenched when he saw her tear-stained face. Stanley took that opportunity to make his move, grabbing Grace by the arm that held the knife, lifting her up off her feet and swinging her around in front of him like a shield. He plucked the knife out of her hand and held it against her throat.

“Drop the gun,” Stanley demanded.

Steve thought he could get a shot off, but it was risky. Still, the only reason he set his gun on the floor was because he knew Danny was probably already moving into a better position.

“Just one of you,” Steve pointed out. “And nine of us. You really think you’re gonna just ride on out of here?”

Stanley glared back at him, and there was a madness gleaming in his eyes that made Steve’s stomach drop. The chances of reasoning with him were getting slimmer and slimmer.

“I need that money!” Stanley insisted.

“You’re not getting it,” Steve said. “You need to end this now, before someone else gets hurt. If you surrender, I can –”

“No! You don’t get it! This is my only chance!”

Grace winced and a line of blood appeared at her throat, and Steve was ready to kill that man with his bare hands. Before he could make any kind of rudimentary action plan, two chirping whistles sounded from outside. Grace turned her head and bit Stanley’s arm. He jerked his arm back, moving the knife enough for Grace to drop down and out of the way.

There was the crack of a gunshot and Stanley dropped, the bullet having left a hole right between his eyes.

Steve dropped to his knees and held his arms open for Grace, who threw herself into them, crying. In the next second Danny was right there with them, pressing kisses to the top of Grace’s head.

“I was wrong about you,” Rogers said. He was the only one of the Avengers to come inside the house. “I’m glad I was.”

“Thanks,” Steve said. “For the help.”

“We’ll take Stanley’s partner into town, get him set up in your jail. And then we’ll be moving on.”

Steve left Grace to Danny’s ministrations and stood up, holding out his hand. Rogers shook it.

“You’re welcome in my town any time.”

“Appreciated. Thank you.”

Steve didn’t stick around to see them off. Grace needed cleaning up, and the house needed to be put to rights, and something had to be done with Stanley’s body.

“My mommy wasn’t a whore,” Grace said again, her words muffled against Danny’s shirt.

“She loved you very much,” Danny replied, even though neither he nor Steve knew the first thing about Grace’s mother. “Just as much as we do.”

“You were very brave,” Steve added. “I’m so proud of you.”

Grace sniffled and turned her head so she could look at him. “Can we get pie at Ms. Haney’s?”

Danny huffed out a laugh, and Steve nodded. “Of course we can. Let’s just get cleaned up first, okay? We don’t want to scare Ms. Haney.”

While Danny carried Grace outside to the water pump, Steve stuck Stanley’s body in the root cellar until they could get Max to come out and collect it. He’d just as soon have left him for the vultures, but he wanted Stanley gone – from their house, from their lives, from Grace’s memories.

And while they were in town, Steve would send a telegram and see if they couldn’t get Grace that money she was due. She deserved the opportunity to be secure when she was of age, without having to rely on a man to take care of her.

He’d see to it.

**Author's Note:**

> **AN:** Title is from the song [I’ll Stand By You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLpmj059JFA), by the Pretenders. Man, I love that song. And once again I played pretty fast and loose with the prompt, but I have no regrets.
> 
> If you’re curious about the Avengers in this ‘verse, I would like to refer you to their story, [Never Stop Fighting (Till the Fight is Done)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7413340).


End file.
